title: Antiviral treatment improves disrupted peripheral B lymphocyte homeostasis in chronic hepatitis B virus-infected patients.
abstract: Disruption of peripheral blood B-cell homeostasis and variation of surface receptors occur with certain infections and autoimmune diseases. However, the impact of antiviral therapy on B-cell alteration during chronic hepatitis B (CHB) infection remains unclear. Our study aims to document the effects of B-cell alteration in CHB patients treated with tenofovir or adefovir. A total of 21 CHB patients and 10 healthy donors were recruited into the study. We identified B-cell subsets by flow cytometry and observed changes in the B-cell repertoire of CHB patients upon tenofovir or adefovir antiviral treatment. The total and percent of B cells and CD5 + B-cell subsets were significantly increased in CHB patients compared to healthy donors. Total and percent of CD5 + B cells gradually decreased following the diminution of the HBV DNA load after tenofovir and adefovir treatment. Upon tenofovir treatment, the percent of memory CD27 + B cells was increased but the absolute number declined, whereas naïve CD27- B cells declined in both percent and absolute number. In the adefovir treatment group, neither naïve nor memory B cells were altered by the treatment. Furthermore, CHB patients displayed higher levels of activation markers (CD69 and CD24) and trended towards restored B-cell homeostasis after antiviral treatment. In conclusion, disrupted B-cell homeostasis is an important feature of CHB patients and is partially restored after control of viral replication by antiviral treatment. B-cell antiviral immunity is improved by restoring B-cell homeostasis and activation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Hepatology, the First Hospital, Jilin University, Changchun 130021, China.
authors.forename: Haibo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lv
authors.forename: Zhengkun
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Tu
authors.forename: Xiaoli
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Hongqing
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.forename: Damo
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Zhexiong
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Lian
authors.forename: Xiumei
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Chi
authors.forename: Junqi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Niu
mesh_terms: D000225:Adenine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000328:Adult; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000821:virology; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D019694:Hepatitis B, Chronic / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006706:Homeostasis; D006801:Humans; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D008297:Male; D063065:Organophosphonates / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000068698:Tenofovir; D019562:Viral Load / Q000187:drug effects; D014779:Virus Replication / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D063065:Organophosphonates; C053001:adefovir; D000068698:Tenofovir; D000225:Adenine
keywords: B cells; hepatitis B virus; therapy